I read with great interest Steve Coll's two-part series on the death of Pat Tillman [front page, Dec. 5-6]. I must defend the actions of the Army Rangers accused of fratricide.
As a West Point graduate and veteran of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, I have participated in simulated combat situations and in real combat. No amount of training can prepare you for the adrenaline-charged confusion that can accompany live fire.
Though it is not my goal to exonerate those who shot Tillman -- particularly without all of the facts -- it is worth pointing out that fratricide is a sad reality of war. Living under the constant threat of enemy fire, soldiers must learn to think and act quickly. What turned out to be Tillman and an Afghan militiaman on that ridge in Khost could have easily been members of an attacking force.
If we examine the chain of events that led to Tillman's premature death, it is convenient to look at the decision to split the platoon, the botched communications and the pressure to get "boots on the ground" in a nearby sector. All of these, however, miss the mark. The reality of Tillman's death is that he was on that desolate ridge in Afghanistan seeking out the murderer of thousands of innocent American civilians. If we are going to assign blame for the tragic loss of this American patriot, let's start and end with Osama bin Laden and his network of terrorists.
-- Donald C. Brewster Jr.
Springfield
•
In reading Steve Coll's series, I'm struck by the lengths to which he goes to avoid saying outright that the Pentagon "lied."
The Army "spun tales," "distorted," "made no mention of friendly fire," released an "incomplete narrative," "withheld all evidence of fratricide," "exaggerated," "stripped his actions of their context" and "managed uncomfortable facts," but never did it "lie."
Perhaps the public would have more trust in the media in general and The Post in particular if they demonstrated a willingness to call things as they are, and not buy into bureaucratic double talk intended to obscure from the public what is done in our name with our money.
-- Russ Winter
Washington
